In came Amy, quite calm, and delightfully cordial to the one guest who had kept her promise; the rest of the family, being of a dramatic turn, played their parts equally well,Warmly friendly.
Little Women
Chapter 26
Louisa May Alcott · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Copywork
In came Amy, quite calm, and delightfully cordial to the one guest who had kept her promise; the rest of the family, being of a dramatic turn, played their parts equally well, and Miss Eliott found them a most hilarious set; for it was impossible to entirely control the merriment which possessed them.
Read your copy aloud. Twelve girls were invited and one came. Find every word in the passage that tells you how Amy behaved, and then find what the narrator says the family could not entirely control. Which of the words about Amy would the narrator call ladylike?
Discussion
Narration Tell back Amy's plan for the fête, what happened on Monday and Tuesday, and how the day ended.
- Amy wants her lunch "proper and elegant, though I do work for my living." What might that "though" tell us about what she is after? Inference
- Amy says, "I hate being patronized as much as you do!" How are Amy's way and Jo's way of dealing with fashionable girls alike, and how do they differ? Character
- On the omnibus, Amy's face goes "nearly as red as her fish," and then she laughs and makes a joke. What changes in those few seconds? Character
- Before the lunch, the narrator spends pages on Amy's poker-sketching, oil paintings and plaster casts. Why might the author begin the chapter with them? Author's choice
- Amy calls herself "a fool," and a moment later says, "I am satisfied; I've done what I undertook." Can both be true of her? Moral reasoning
Make a Connection Tell about a time a plan you worked hard on went differently than you hoped.
Vocabulary
- cordial
- merriment
for it was impossible to entirely control the merriment which possessed them.
Laughter and cheerful fun.- audacity
Amy was learning this distinction through much tribulation; for, mistaking enthusiasm for inspiration, she attempted every branch of art with youthful audacity.
Bold daring.- tact
Everybody liked her, for among her good gifts was tact.
Skill in saying and doing the fitting thing.- self-possessed
did just what suited the time and place, and was so self-possessed that her sisters used to say, “If Amy went to court without any rehearsal beforehand,
Calm and in command of oneself.- feasible
“That looks feasible.
Able to be done.- truckle
I thought you had too much pride and sense to truckle to any mortal woman just because she wears French boots and rides in a coupé,” said Jo, who,
To give way meekly to please someone.- suavity
and, congratulating herself that she had on her new travelling dress, returned the young man’s greeting with her usual suavity and spirit.
Smooth, polished courtesy.- efface
Feeling that the neighbors were interested in her movements, she wished to efface the memory of yesterday’s failure by a grand success today;
To wipe out; to erase.- surfeit
I’m sick of the sight of this; and there’s no reason you should all die of a surfeit because I’ve been a fool,” cried Amy, wiping her eyes.
Too much of something, especially food.
Critical thinking
- On Monday morning Amy hides the shabby places in the parlor. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what that shows about how she deals with being poor.
- After Amy and one guest arrive, each of her family helps in a different way. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how they treat Amy that afternoon.
- On Tuesday morning Amy's "temper was beginning to fail." Using two pieces of evidence, explain what is wearing on her.